Strategies for Classroom Management

Valeriu C Lazar, English lecturer

Abstract: A good teacher must be good at classroom management. Effective classroom

management is crucial to being able to teach and pass on knowledge to the next

generation.

The classroom management strategies can help provide a meaningful learning

environment for both teacher and student. The teacher should guide the students

towards self- direction. Rhythm in the classroom is also important. Class culture makes

the students feel secure.

The teacher’s smile, word of encouragement, praise and good attention affect students’

behavior. Soft reprimand is very effective. Self - learning and self-evaluation are useful

for students. Kounin feels firmness at the right place will help in good classroom

management.
 Effective classroom management is much more than just administering corrective

measures when a student misbehaves; it's about developing proactive ways to prevent

problems from occurring in the first place while creating a positive learning environment.

Establishing that climate for learning is one of the most challenging aspects of teaching, and

one of the most difficult skills to master.

For those new to the profession, failure to set the right tone will greatly hinder your

effectiveness as a teacher. Indeed, even experienced faculty may sometimes feel frustrated by

classroom management issues. Strategies that worked for years suddenly become ineffective in

the face of some of the challenges today’s students bring with them to the classroom. These

classroom management techniques from those on the front lines who’ve met the challenges

head-on and developed creative responses that work with today’s students.

This report will teach you practical ways to create favorable conditions for learning, including

how to

• Get the semester off on the right foot

 Prevent cheating

• Incorporate classroom management principles into the syllabus

• Handle students who participate too much

• Establish relationships with students

• Use a contract to help get students to accept responsibility

• Employ humor to create conditions conducive to learning

These classroom management techniques have shown to improve classroom behavior, build
relationships for a better classroom community, and foster a positive classroom environment
where student learning is the number one collective goal.

Try these effective classroom management strategies with your students to become a happier,
more effective teacher.
1. Model ideal behavior

Make a habit of demonstrating behavior you want to see, as many studies show that
modelling effectively teaches students how to act in different situations.

A straightforward way to model certain behaviors is holding a mock conversation with an

administrator, other teacher or student helper in front of the class. Talking about a test or
other relatable topic, be sure to:

• Use polite language

• Maintain eye contact

• Keep phones in your pockets

• Let one another speak uninterrupted

Raise concerns about one another’s statements in a respectful manner

After, start a class discussion to list and expand upon the ideal behaviors you
exemplified.

2. Avoid punishing the class

Address isolated discipline problems individually instead of punishing an entire class, as the
latter can hurt your relationships with students who are on-task and thereby jeopardize
other classroom management efforts.

Instead, call out specific students in a friendly manner. For example:

• "Do you have a question?”, not "Stop talking and disrupting other students”

• "Do you need help focusing?”, not "Pay attention and stop fooling around while I’m talking”
This basic approach will allow you to keep a friendly disposition, while immediately
acknowledging inappropriate behavior.

3. Encourage initiative

Promote growth mindset, and inject variety into your lessons, by allowing students to work
ahead and deliver short presentations to share take-away points. Almost inevitably, you’ll
have some eager learners in your classroom. You can simply ask them if they’d like to get
ahead from time-to-time.

For example, if you’re reading a specific chapter in a textbook, propose that they read the
following one too. When they deliver their subsequent presentations to preview the next
chapter on your behalf, you may find that other students want a bit more work as well.
4. Offer praise

Praise students for jobs well done, as doing so improves academic and behavioral
performance, according to a recent research review and study.

When it is sincere and references specific examples of effort or accomplishment, praise can:

• Inspire the class

• Improve a student’s self-esteem

• Reinforce rules and values you want to see

Perhaps more importantly, it encourages students to repeat positive behavior. Let’s say a
student exemplifies advanced problem-solving skills when tackling a math word problem.
Praising his or her use of specific tactics should go a long way in ensuring he or she continues
to use these tactics. Not to mention, you’ll motivate other students to do the same.

5. Use non-verbal communication

Complement words with actions and visual aids to improve content delivery, helping
students focus and process lessons.

Many differentiated instruction strategies are rooted in these communication methods. For
example, running learning stations -- divided sections of your classroom through which
students rotate -- allows you to deliver a range of non-spoken content types. These include
videos, infographics and physical objects such as counting coins
6. Give tangible rewards

Reward specific students at the end of each lesson, in front of the class, as
another motivational and behavior-reinforcement technique.

Let’s say a few students are actively listening throughout the entire lesson,
answering questions and asking their own. Before the class ends, walk over to
their desks to give them raffle tickets. So others can learn, state aloud what each
student did to earn the tickets. On Friday, they can submit their tickets for a shot
at a prize that changes each week -- from candy to being able to choose a game
for the next class party.

7. Offer different types of free study time

Provide a range of activities during free study time to appeal to students who struggle to process
content in silence, individually.

You can do this by dividing your class into clearly-sectioned solo and team activities. In separate
sections, consider:

• Providing audiobooks, which can play material relevant to your lessons

• Maintaining a designated quiet space for students to take notes and complete work

• Creating a station for challenging group games that teach or reinforce standards-aligned
skills

• Allowing students to work in groups while taking notes and completing work, away from quiet
zones

By running these sorts of activities, free study time will begin to benefit diverse learners. This
should contribute to overall classroom engagement.

8. Assign open-ended projects

Encourage students to tackle open-ended projects -- projects that don’t demand a specific
product -- to allow them to demonstrate knowledge in ways that inherently suit them.

This starts by giving the class a list of broad project ideas, asking each student to choose
one. Be sure to provide a rubric for each project that clearly defines expectations. By both
enticing and challenging students, you should notice they’ll:

Work and learn at their own paces

• Engage actively with appropriate content

• Demonstrate knowledge as effectively as possible

With these benefits, students may actually look forward to taking on new projects.

9. Interview students

Interview students who aren’t academically engaged or displaying prosocial behavior to

learn how to better manage them.

While running learning stations or a large-group activity, pull each student aside for a few
minutes. Ask about:

• What helps them focus

• Who they work well with

• Their favorite types of lessons

• Their favorite in-class activities

• Which kinds of exercises help them remember key lesson points

Note their answers to come up with activities and approaches that engage them, thereby
limiting classroom disruptions.

10. Avoid hesitation when you must address

inappropriate or off-task behavior, especially when
a student breaks a documented rule.
Acting sooner than later will help ensure that negative feelings -- whether between
students or you and a student -- won’t fester. Failure to act can result in more poor
behavior, leading to needlessly-difficult conversations.

But keep in mind: It’s usually best to talk to the student in private. Research shows
that punishing students in front of peers has "limited value.”

Why is classroom management so important?

When done effectively, classroom management is important for three main reasons. It:

1. Creates and sustains an orderly learning environment in the classroom

2. Improves meaningful academic learning and fosters social-emotional growth

3. Increases students' academic engagement and lowers negative classroom behavior

Create community
• Develop a set of written behavior expectations (rules and procedures) with the class
that you can live with and consistently enforce.

• Establish cooperative learning groups, give tips for working as a group, and practice
group work by accomplishing needed tasks (e.g., organizing learning centers,
decorating the room, suggesting class rules and consequences, etc

Classroom Management ideas

• Make parents your allies when you meet them. Describe your positive student
expectations, briefly explain classroom rules, and indicate your willingness to
meet with parents
Sample Classroom Rules

Primary level classroom rules .

I.Raise your hand to speak.

2.Only one person speaks at a time.

3. Do not eat, spit, or litter in the classroom.

4. Do not fight.

5. Ask permission before you leave the classroom.

6. Respect other people’s belongings.

Secondary school classroom rules

1.Cooperate with your teacher and classmates.

2. Respect the rights and property of others.

3. Carry out your student responsibilities:

• Keep track of your own supplies, books, and

assignments.

• Ask for help when you need it.

T urn your work in on time.

• Do your own work.

• Accept responsibility for grades or other consequences.

Create a motivational environment

The following classroom conditions and strategies will help create a classroom climate that

encourages learning.

• Create an attractive, enriched environment.

Get students involved by asking them to decorate their own classroom. Use student work to

decorate when possible, to validate the work and to show examples of good work. Develop

lessons at a level that challenges students but is not too difficult or confusing.

• Give clear directions. Ask student to repeat the directions.

• Engage all students actively. For example, while one student makes a presentation,

other students take notes or use a rubric to assess the presentation.

• Demonstrate consistently that you believe all students will learn. For example, use short

positive words to praise good work and behavior (e.g., great idea, fantastic, good job,

sensational, super). Better yet, if you teach in a local language, brainstorm with students

words of praise in their language and use them.

• Teach to different learning styles. For example, write key words on the board or use a

diagram or visual, and so on.

• Make learning intrinsically interesting by relating lesson content to the students’ life and

local environment. For example, make connections between the lesson and local current

events or common life experiences in that region.

• Use vivid, novel, or different attention getters at the beginning of the lesson. Use objects

or pictures, have students read a poem or quotes, have a diagram on the board, or play

some music.

• Vary lesson presentations to keep teaching from going stale.

• Limit lectures or presentations to 15 minutes before directing a student activity. Break the

class period into two or three different activities (e.g., lecture, group work, report out).

Be sure each activity segues smoothly into the next